Sunrooms are not new to the building industry. When adding onto or remodeling an existing home or other structure, many people turn to a sunroom or patio enclosure. Such rooms are relatively easy for trained technicians to construct and are inexpensive when compared to other improvements that can be made to a home, such as remodeled bathrooms or kitchens. Sunrooms have traditionally been constructed of an aluminum frame with windows or glass sections. Aluminum sunrooms are shaped with vertical walls that have a curved transition to the roof, although most may have a marque roof or gable type roof.
Aluminum framed rooms constructed in this manner, however, have several disadvantages. The main problem is poor thermal efficiency. Due to the high rate at which aluminum conducts heat, a room constructed from aluminum cannot stay comfortably cool in the summer without air conditioning or warm in the winter without supplemental heating. This drawback results in dramatically increased cooling and heating costs. Moreover, many of the windows in aluminum frame type sunrooms are generally installed in such a way that the windows cannot be opened and no screens are present. Another disadvantage is high maintenance. Aluminum must be painted if chipped and is easily dented. Construction of aluminum rooms is a major disadvantage as well. Because of the nature of the metal, the aluminum pieces must be assembled with external fasteners. External fasteners increase the time of assembly and degrade the overall aesthetics of the room.
In light of these various deficiencies, a need continues for a low maintenance sunroom/patio enclosure with improved thermal efficiency, screens, and sliding or double hung windows.